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Diabetes eating sugary foods & self harm

lotuslight

Well-Known Member
Messages
135
Location
Yorkshire
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
I just briefly wanted to say I do this , and I can’t seem to stop. Usually if Iv argued with someone my other half or family member.

Chocolate is my downfall

It feels like a form of self hate and also comfort.I think the stigma of diabetes type 2 also.

I have seen other posts like this and I just wanted to share that I am now studying hypnotherapy.

I am really hoping I can help myself and I would love to share if it helps me with the self harm aspect.

It has helped me in other parts of life I’m really hopeful.

I have already lost a stone from it.fingers crossed
 
I overeat chocolate sometimes, but have managed to only do so with chocolate that is relatively low carb. Fortunately I like strongly flavoured chocolate so I eat up to a whole bar of 90% chocolate such as Lindt which is only 14gms of carbs per 100gm bar. Alternatively I may eat a whole 200gm block of cheese (almost zero carbs) or have a stiff drink with a low calorie mixer.
None of these do any serious damage to my status of being in Type 2 diabetes remission.
 
Yes I used to react to others in the same way as you. Nowadays I do the same as @ianf0ster

I have 90% or 99% dark chocolate. I find I don't need very much to keep me on an even keel as the taste is so strong. Not only does it do the trick in a non harmful low carb way, but it also helps alleviate the feelings of guilt. Dark chocolate and cacao contain an amino acid called tryptophan that your brain uses to produce the neurotransmitter serotonin, which can increase feelings of overall happiness. It also increases levels of dopamine, an important neurotransmitter critical for positive mood.

So if you need to do so, gradually step up from 70% dark chocolate to 90% in the knowledge that you are not only not harming yourself but you are doing yourself some good. Win, win, Happy Days.





https://www.google.com/search?rlz=1...wQUEAHW0PAa8Q9QF6BAgeEAE#imgrc=XwnqVxcmAx2gZM
 
Hi, I Can’t see eating chocolate as self harm! No more than eating a biscuit or a piece of cake, even a whole cake doesn’t constitute self harm, just makes me a greedy so n so, if chocolate is self harm so is eating an orange to a T2 diabetic or a slice of toast, you just like chocolate and don’t want to stop eating it, you and 4 billion other people, no need to label it self harm. Take it a bit easier on yourself.

the hypnotherapy sounds interesting if the thought of it being done to me, makes me a little nervous. Good luck with that, let us know how that goes, best of luck.
 
Thank you for all your comments and feed back.

The chocolate sounds good if anyone can recommend the best ones I’d be so grateful.
Il definitely look up lint I had no idea it’s a good one.that’s quite exciting!

And Fenn yes I understand in a way but my eyes are getting affected so it feels like self harm to me.
But maybe I should be a bit easier so thank you I will let you know definitely
 
How brave to be so open about this, @lotuslight , and I am sure by revealing this here you will have others identify with the aspect of using food as a comfort and indeed, perversely a form of self harm.
Way back in my teenage years, I had similar habit. Ate junk deliberately. A form of punishment for what I perceived were my inadequacies. Perfectionist behaviour, that I didn’t understand until many years later.
It took therapy, and self awareness training to understand myself better. The punishment / comfort dynamic was broken. I also use meditation and self hypnosis for pain, either physical or emotional these days.
 
I have been buying the Lindt 90% dark chocolate recently Having a hard time and just needing a treat that won’t cause too much of a problem It’s lovely if you are used to dark chocolate Highly recommend.
 
Oh great thank you is that the low carb in it I’d look at then Iv been counting sugar think that’s part of my problem il try that!
 

Hi Pipp glad I’m not alone in it, yes well losing a stone is realky spurring me on but hypnotherapy is getting me to look into why I are these foods regularly in the first place.

It’s really opening my eyes.
Glad you have found a solution too -thank you so much
 
One thing I would remind you of, and reminder to myself, is that one should never believe it has been completely resolved. Always remain alert to life’s setbacks which can lead to reverting to old behaviours. Take time to do a self appraisal frequently, and nip any self damaging thoughts in the bud.
 
We all have coping mechanisms that our bodies reach for automatically because they worked for us at some time in the past. Unfortunately this often continues to happen long after those coping mechanisms stopped working for us. It’s not self-harm, it’s more just a bug in the software, I hope the hypnotherapy helps you iron out that glitch.
 
I’ve never found a way to stop eating chocolate and I don’t eat a small amount. I eat a share bag of buttons every night. I am seeing a dietician in a few weeks but not sure how they can help me!
 
Sarah69 said:
I’ve never found a way to stop eating chocolate and I don’t eat a small amount. I eat a share bag of buttons every night. I am seeing a dietician in a few weeks but not sure how they can help me!
Click to expand...
Get yourself the book A Fork in the Road by Jen Unwin
https://forkintheroad.co.uk/https://forkintheroad.co.uk/
Dieticians and helpful people on forums can tell you what foods to eat, but you need to learn why you eat
 
Sarah69 said:
I’ve never found a way to stop eating chocolate and I don’t eat a small amount. I eat a share bag of buttons every night. I am seeing a dietician in a few weeks but not sure how they can help me!
Click to expand...
I find I can cope by not having chocolate in the house!
 
Sarah69 said:
I’ve never found a way to stop eating chocolate and I don’t eat a small amount. I eat a share bag of buttons every night. I am seeing a dietician in a few weeks but not sure how they can help me!
Click to expand...
Only you can help yourself. Have you heard about carb addiction? For some of us, the more carbs we have, the more we want. Its similar to the way some people react to alcohol. Even a mall amount of carbs can set us off. Often it is a specific type of carbs. For example, I can eat wholemeal bread with no after cravings, but anything involving sugar or white flour sets the cravings off.

Once I recognised this, plus the psychological affect of the habit of doing something every day, I was able to address the problem. It takes me about a week to come down from the carb craving, and then I lose the craving to have them. The habitual carb eating involved me sitting somewhere else, or changing the trigger (in my case, reading a book), for about three weeks to break the habit. I approach it the same way I approached stopping smoking.
 
Hotel Chocolat Batons can be a good choice, I find I can eat one or two of any type with little worry of a spike - but as ever with this it's entirely personal and the only way to be sure is to test and find out for yourself.
 
I think the point about self-harm is when you know you're damaging your health but find it hard to stop. I feel as if I am harming myself when I can't stop eating whole cakes and large bars of chocolate - or even a load of bread in one hit. The writing is on the wall for me yet still I continue to sabotage my health and future. No one else is force-feeding me. It is self-harm.
 
I absolutely understand this and why you view it as self-harm. I've always been an emotional / comfort eater so that still takes precedence over what I know I should eat to stop my diabetes getting worse. People who aren't emotional eaters don't understand why you can't just stop doing something you know is harmful. I know that if my husband was pre-diabetic, he would simply stop eating the sugar and carbs etc, but I find it very hard to do, even though I've had T2 for 4 years now.
 
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